Police: Students on field trip attack jogger at cemetery

ZANESVILLE – A 45-year-old Zanesville man was taken to the hospital Tuesday afternoon following an assault at Woodlawn Cemetery by a group of students out for a school-sanctioned walk, according to a Zanesville Police Department report.

A class of Zanesville Community High School students were walking through the cemetery at 1:30 p.m., chaperoned by a teacher, when several of the students branched off and began throwing rocks at some of the headstones, explained Capt. Doug Merry.

The victim was jogging through the area at the time and told the students to stop. They responded by “taunting and swearing” at him, Merry said. After a short confrontation, the man continued jogging up the hill and was chased by two of the students. The youths — aged 17 and 18 years old — reportedly attacked the victim and fled toward the western side of the cemetery, the report states.

The jogger is being treated for a collapsed lung at Genesis Good Samaritan hospital.

No arrests have been made in connection to the incident, Merry said.

Jeff Moore, ZCHS principal, said he is conducting an internal investigation with teachers and students at the school, in conjunction with the ZPD investigation. He would not comment on possible disciplinary actions.

“There will be things happening here moving forward,” Moore said of potential punishments. “Until the police are done their part of the investigation, we’re not sure what those steps are that we’ll be taking.”

Kevin Appleman, Zanesville City Schools student service director, said depending on the outcome of the investigation, the students could face repercussions ranging from a one-day suspension to expulsion.

The teacher involved could face disciplinary action as well. Though it is not directly stated in their contracts, Appleman said teachers who bring students on field trips are “expected to keep an eye on them.”

“If we see negligence on the teacher’s part, we could be looking at taking action against (the teacher) as well,” Appleman said. “It’s not black and white. It’s partly the responsibility of the individual to stay with their teacher as well... What we do really depends on our internal investigation.”

This is the second time police have responded to Woodlawn Cemetery for criminal activity this month. On April 3, 77 headstones were vandalized during an overnight crime spree, causing thousands of dollars in damage and spurring a $1,600 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

Investigators from ZPD were at ZCHS Wednesday, interviewing students and teachers.